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So as you can see, the whole SynerJack team has had a tremendously busy schedule in the month of March, with one getting married, the other being in Costa Rica, another dealing with the characteristics of people in the church and well, the other is a Senior Pastor. So now with a new month, and a new outlook on life, beginning to get back on track with the dealings of life, I present a new question…
I have been reading 1 Thessalonians, mainly because it has been relating to my own personal trials, but Paul’s greeting intrigued me:
We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father you work produced by faith, you labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know, brother loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of sever suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming truth.
[1 Thessalonians 1:2-10]
Alright, so all of Paul’s letter usually start out with a blessing of some sort, spreading the good news about what he has heard from the people. However, in this entry, there is one section that slips out and makes itself fully aware to me. It was this: “…your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it.“
Their faith has become known everywhere? When people hear of the Thessalonians, the immediately think of how amazing their faith is? What is it that is so incredible about it? What is it that makes them so special, that Paul would say, “Your [witness] is doing so well that there is no need to even address it!”
Then, later in Chapter 4, Paul tells them to live lives that are quiet and to their own so that outsiders will respect you. Is this a church that got it? Is this a church that understood what the purpose of Jesus was for? Or even, is this a church that lived as though Jesus was still present on earth?
This got me thinking about my own life. And I asked myself, “Because of how I live, is my life so rich and overflowing that everyone knows of my strong faith in the Lord?” What does that even look like? How do we accomplish it? Not just in our lives, but families, churches, work, retirement homes, anywhere?
So, here is our question:
What does it look like and what does it take [in ourselves, work, church, families, etc.] to be so engulfed in God, Jesus, faith, religion, or whatever, so much that everyone knows and they are amazed by it?
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